A Trip to Italy
by rachandjoey4eva
Summary: Rachel takes a trip to Italy in order to escape her parents arguing, unaware of the suprises it will bring her. This is a JoeyRachel high school fanfic, please read & review!
1. Default Chapter

Here is the Joey/Rachel High School fanfic I promised! The next chapter is longer I promise, I just wanted to get the introduction out in this chapter and I apologize for all the problems I have had format wise, but please stick with me and read and review, thanks to everyone who already has!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
She had to get out. She knew that she had to leave that very second; for fear that she might lose her mind with all the yelling that was going on downstairs. Every time she brought it up with her mom and asked her about the possibility of divorce, her mother always replied with a firm "no," just saying that they were going through a "rough patch." But Rachel was tired of this rough patch, and needed a nice long vacation from it all. And that's when she came up with her plan.  
She pulled the suitcase out from under her bed that she had packed sometime earlier that week on yet another night when such an argument had been ensuing. She grabbed her wallet off of her desk along with her passport. She carefully eased her bedroom window open, straddling the windowsill as she lowered her suitcase onto the flat piece of roof outside. She quickly pulled her other leg over, and slid the window soundlessly shut.  
As she crept across the roof, hugging her suitcase to her chest, she felt around in her jeans pocket for her car keys. After confirming they were in fact there, she began the climb down the ladder that she had carefully placed by the garage in case of such an emergency. When she reached the bottom, she darted across the driveway, jumping into the old jeep her father had given her to drive around town during her senior year of high school. Rachel started up the car and sped down the driveway quickly, scared that someone would see her.  
While she pulled out of her driveway, she took one last look at her house, feeling a slight sense of regret. However, this feeling was quickly pushed aside as she saw her parents fighting in the living room. After a quick shake of her head, she began the trip down the main road, unaware of what her plan would bring her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hope this is longer for you!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
When she finally reached the airport, Rachel was a little tired from the hour long drive, but she had lost none of her earlier motivation. It was so nice not to hear the constant bickering of her parents in the background; she could finally hear herself think. Aside from all the traffic, that is. She entered the airport, and quickly located a booth that said "United Airlines," and lucky for her, there was only one person in front of her.  
  
Rachel: I'd like one ticket to Italy please.  
  
Stewardess: Certainly. Cash or credit?  
  
Rachel: Visa.  
  
She handed the perky woman her Visa card. It had always been a dream of hers to go to Italy. Monica had been in 10th grade, and after all the raving she had done about the sights, clothes, and the food, it was all Rachel could do not to get on a plane that very second. Now, her dream was coming true. She was finally going to Italy, and best of all, without her parents. The woman gave her the ticket, and after checking in her luggage, Rachel hoisted her small bag onto her shoulder, and started looking for Gate 38 D.  
  
On the plane  
  
Rachel finally found seat 34 B, and strapped her seat belt around her waist as soon as she sat down, as she was deathly afraid of flying. "Hi!" Rachel turned her head to look at a perky blonde woman who was staring down at her with what looked to be a permanently fake smile plastered on her face.  
  
Rachel: Hi.  
  
Ally: Hi, I'm Ally! It looks like we're going to be sitting next to each other!  
  
Rachel: Yep. unfortunately, she thought to herself. I'm Rachel by the way.  
  
Ally: So, are you meeting your parents over in Italy?  
  
Rachel: Um, no, I'm going by myself...my cousin lives in Italy so I'm probably going to stay with her; I'm part of a student foreign exchange program.  
  
That was such a lie. Rachel knew no one over in Italy, she didn't even know where she was going to stay, let alone speak Italian. But she would manage. Or at least she hoped she would.  
  
Ally: Oh, well that's nice.  
  
Rachel: Yea. So what about you?  
  
She had to at least try to make conversation with this woman; after all, she would be sitting with her the whole way to Italy. Rachel started to tune out after the woman began to launch into some long winded story about how she was going to go meet her boyfriend who she had actually met in America last summer, but he lived in Italy so he had to go back, and now they were finally going to be reunited. She also mentioned that they had been set up by each other's parents through some foreign...blind date company Rachel had never heard of. But from what she could see of Ally right now, she could tell while this Italian boy's family would want him to marry her. Ally seemed extremely wealthy, as you could tell from the Louis Vuttion carry on bag sitting next to her feet, the Tiffany necklace, and the David Yerman bracelets.  
  
Pilot: Ladies and gentleman, we are just about to leave the runway, take off should be in about 2 minutes. We hope you enjoy your flight.  
  
Rachel was tired, so as soon as she had attempted to eat some of the plane supplied dinner, she tucked the airline pillow under her head and fell into a restless sleep, waking up every now and then and seeing Ally talking to an older man sitting across the aisle. She seemed pretty involved in the conversation, judging by the immense amount of flirting the man and Ally were doing.  
  
Rachel [thinking to herself]: God, I hope this Italian guy knows what he's gotten himself into.  
  
The next time she woke up the pilot's announcement was: "We will be arriving in Italy in 10 minutes, so please fold up your trays and put your seats into their upright positions."  
  
Rachel looked to her left and saw that Ally was miraculously still awake and talking to the man across the aisle, this time exchanging pieces of paper with phone numbers written on them. She sighed to herself as she put her seat into the "upright" position, preparing herself for the landing, and all that it would bring her. 


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the third chapter, please read and review!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Rachel had gotten off the plane, but Ally was still following her as they searched for baggage claim.  
  
Rachel [pointing to a spot right in front of them, a little over to the left]: There it is  
  
Ally: Oh Rachel, what would I ever do with out you.  
  
It turned out that having no sleep didn't affect Ally's perkiness. At all. After unloading her simple navy blue suitcase, and helping Ally off with her 3 Louis Vuitton ones, Rachel made her way over to the exit, Ally still trailing behind her. Ally: So is your cousin meeting you at the airport Rachel?  
  
Rachel: My...  
  
She suddenly remembered what she had told Ally last night.  
  
Rachel: Oh no, I'm taking a cab to her place.  
  
Ally: Don't be silly! You shouldn't have to pay for a cab, I'm sure we can have...oh whatever his name is drive you, he's picking me up, so I'm sure he can take you too.  
  
Rachel: Okay...  
  
They walked out through the double doors together, and they couldn't have been more different. Ally was tall, wearing an orange skirt and jacket suit with hair that was so blonde, you could tell that she probably dyed it every month. Her legs were stick thin, she probably only ate a salad for every meal every day of the year. She also had a lot of makeup on, perfectly applied as if by a professional stylist, along with her tall, stiletto heels that Rachel thought looked impossible to walk in. Rachel. Rachel was a different story. She was a little shorter, and petite. Her hair was a light brown color, with some carefully placed blonde highlights that her mother had let her get done for graduation that was a few months away. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a baggy white sweater; her baby blue eyes making her look beautiful in a very simple way. She was not loaded with expensive jewelry, just pearl earrings in that her father had bought her for Christmas that year. Suddenly Ally stopped and looked around.  
  
Ally: Where is he? I can't see him. Oh wait, there he is!  
  
She shrieked as she ran towards a man holding up a sign that said Ally. Rachel trailed along behind, not wanting to run as she was still exhausted from the flight. As she neared the man that Ally had practically thrown herself on, she gasped. There, standing right in front of her, was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He had dark brown eyes, with dark brown hair that flopped into his eyes. He was just wearing jeans and a white t- shirt, and looked incredibly handsome but that didn't matter to Rachel. He was Ally's, and she could tell right now that Ally wouldn't let anything go without a fight.  
  
Ally: Oh sorry. Um... this is Rachel. Rachel this is...  
  
Rachel bit her lip, feeling sorry for the man standing at Ally's side.  
  
Joey: It's Joey.  
  
Rachel [softly]: Hi  
  
Joey looked at for a moment. She was so different from Ally, the "obvious" beauty. She had a subtle beauty about her, the way her light brown hair fell about her shoulders, a little messy from the flight, and the way the airport lighting shone down on the carefully placed blonde highlights in her hair. And her eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes that you could just get lost in. He shook his head. What was he doing? His parents had worked so hard to set him up with this woman from America. There was no way he could make these feelings known.  
  
Joey: Hey.  
  
Ally [noticing the way Joey was looking at Rachel, but trying to ignore it]: Right. Well...Joey, I said to Rachel that we could give her a ride to her cousins house, she's staying there as part of a foreign exchange student program.  
  
Joey: Yea sure, that's fine.  
  
Rachel [shyly]: Thanks  
  
Joey: No problem.  
  
The three of them started to walk out of the airport, making their way over to a red pickup truck that said "Joey Sr.'s Bakery" on the side. She saw Ally cringe as Joey tossed her suitcases into the back of the pickup truck, and as she sat down in the battered passenger's seat inside.  
  
Ally: Oh sorry Rachel, I guess that means you'll have to sit in the back of the truck, is that okay?  
  
Ally wanted her out of the car so she and Joey could have chance to talk, and she felt that Joey got distracted when Rachel was nearby.  
  
Rachel: Yea, okay that's fine.  
  
She pulled down the flap at the back of the trunk, and climbed in amongst all the luggage, leaning against the back window. Joey smiled at her, and shut his door, starting up the car. The silence was uncanny between Ally and Joey, as they had never really been alone together for that long. Rachel sat in the back, bumping along as they went over the dirt road leading to what must be Joey's neighborhood. She stared up at the stars illuminating the sky, it was so beautiful out in the countryside. They pulled up in front of a small, white house where an old woman was standing in the doorway waiting. "Joey!" she cried as she saw the pickup pulling into the gravel driveway. Joey got out, helped Ally out, and then walked round to where Rachel was in amongst the luggage. Rachel handed him each of the three suitcases that Ally had brought, and then sat back down in the corner.  
  
Joey: I'll be back in a second to take you to your cousins. Crap, Rachel thought. She had completely forgotten about her "cousin" story. What was she going to tell Joey...  
  
Joey: Okay I'm back. Here you can come ride the front this time.  
  
She walked down to the edge of the trunk, and jumped off, walking around to the passenger side. She got in, and Joey turned the key asking  
  
Joey: So where does your cousin live?  
  
Think fast Rach!  
  
Rachel: Um, just down this street and around the corner.  
  
Joey: Oh okay, so that would be Calithia Road?  
  
Rachel [smiling to herself]: That's the one.  
  
They finally came across the road sign saying Calithia Road, and Joey stopped the engine, and took Rachel's hand, helping her out of the truck. He got her suitcase out of the back, and said to her  
  
Joey: Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to her door?  
  
Rachel [her voice a little shaky]: No, no that's fine. Thanks so much for the ride.  
  
Joey: No problem.  
  
He got back in the car and waited a minute as she walked down the road. Looking at the slow, unsure steps that she took, looking all around her, he realized that she probably had no idea where she was going, and for some reason had made up some story about having a cousin to Ally. He didn't know why, but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave her wandering the streets all night. A pretty young girl like her could get into trouble quickly. By this time Rachel had gotten about ¾ of the way down the road, so Joey started the engine and speeded after her. Hearing the sound of a car behind her, Rachel turned around to see the red pickup truck with Joey inside it. He pulled up along side her.  
  
Rachel: What are you doing here?  
  
Joey [a small smile on his face]: Well I had this feeling, just a feeling, that there might not be a cousin of yours living on this street, or any other for that matter.  
  
Rachel: Sure she lives here.....  
  
Joey [getting out of the car and walking around to stand in front of her]: Are you sure Rachel? Because young girls like you don't want to be wandering the country streets of Italy at night...it can get pretty dangerous.  
  
Rachel glanced around quickly, getting more worried than she already was. And then for some reason, tears started to form in her eyes, slipping down her cheeks, as she began to talk,  
  
Joey [gently]: Hey, don't cry, its okay, everything's going to be fine.  
  
Rachel [sobbing]: No it's not going to be okay! I ran away from home and got on a plane to Italy with no where to stay. My parents fight all the time and they're probably going to get a divorce, so everything is not going to be fine.  
  
Now she gave way into her tears, and felt Joey's warm arms envelope her, pressing her close to his body. He rubbed her back slowly and gently, as he sat them both down, leaning up against the streetlight. Rachel sat there crying on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, still rubbing her back in that same rhythmic, comforting motion.  
  
Joey: Listen Rachel, don't worry about anything. You can... come stay at my house until...until you get something sorted out  
  
Rachel [turning to him, her eyes still wet with tears]: Are you sure?  
  
Joey [smiling comfortingly]: Yes, I'm sure. Now why don't we get up and head back to my house, Ally will be wondering what happened to me. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry, I hadn't written this chapter yet! I had already written the previous chapters I posted, so it may take a little longer to get up the next one! Hope this one is longer! (haha) Anyway, read & review!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
12 midnight- Joey's mother, Gloria, has just shown Rachel to the guest room.  
  
Rachel: Thank you so much Mrs. Tribbiani.  
  
Gloria: No problem sweetheart, we couldn't have had a pretty little thing like you wandering the streets at night.  
  
Gloria gave her quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and walked out, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Rachel smiled to herself. Mrs. Tribbiani was so nice; she knew she was lucky to be staying with such a wonderful family.  
  
She yawned, and suddenly realized how tired she was. Despite the sleep she had gotten on the plane, she was still exhausted. After changing into flannel pants and a gray t-shirt saying "New York Knicks," she pulled the covers back on the bed and slowly slid under them, sinking into the soft mattress.  
  
The next morning....  
  
Ally and Joey are sitting the kitchen; Ally has a pink silk bathrobe wrapped around her, her blonde hair blow dried so it fell perfectly around her face. Joey was wearing jeans and an orange t-shirt.  
  
Ally: So she's staying here?  
  
Joey: Well, she didn't have anywhere else to go...I couldn't just leave her wandering the streets  
  
Ally [giving him a half smile]: I was hoping we'd have some time to ourselves  
  
Joey [one of his eyebrows shooting up]: I'll see what I can do...  
  
Ally: No, no don't you worry, I'll sort everything out, you have to go off to work.  
  
Joey: Okay, bye Ally.  
  
He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and walked out the screen door leaving it swinging behind him.  
  
That was when Rachel chose to come downstairs, she came down softly still in her pajamas. She immediately regretted her decision to shower after breakfast as she saw Ally sitting at the table looking beautiful in her pink robe. But she walked into the kitchen anyway, feeling much younger than Ally...she probably was, Ally looked to be about 19, maybe 20 compared to Rachel's nearly 18.  
  
Ally: Hello Rachel. Did you sleep well?  
  
Rachel: Yea, thanks.  
  
Rachel got herself a glass of water, and poured herself a bowl of the cereal that was sitting in the center of the table.  
  
Rachel: What about you guys?  
  
Ally: We slept well. Oh, by the way Joey wanted me to tell you that he managed to book you into the Giovanni Inn further into town and that they are expecting you to check in at 11 this morning.  
  
Rachel: Oh, okay.  
  
Joey seemed to be pretty eager to get rid of her. That was okay, but she thought last night it could've been possible that he...she told herself to stop, she didn't want to interfere with what he and Ally had.  
  
Rachel: Tell him thanks.  
  
Ally [smiling]: Sure thing.  
  
Rachel finished the cereal she was eating and rinsed them off in the sink and placed them in the dishwasher.  
  
Rachel: Alright then, well I'll go take a shower and get my stuff together.  
  
Ally: See you in a bit.  
  
Rachel headed up the stairs thinking about Joey's promise the night before that she could stay with them until she got something sorted out. Well, she guessed Joey had sorted it out for her.  
  
About an hour later Rachel was showered and dressed in her jeans and a blue tank top. She threw her hairbrush, toothbrush, and toothpaste into her bag. Glancing over at the clock she saw that it said 10:30. She had better be on her way or else she would be late for her check in. After giving Mrs. Tribbiani a hug goodbye and thanking her for letting her stay with them, she waved and started walking down the path, following the directions that Mrs. Tribbiani had given her. She hoisted her bag further up onto her shoulder, and took a right turn onto Eastern Lane continuing straight until she came to Johnson Street which she took a left onto. After a couple more steps she found herself in front of the Giovanni Inn. She went inside and walked up to the man sitting at the check in desk.  
  
Rachel: Hi I'm here to check in...someone made a reservation for me at around 9:30 this morning I guess.  
  
Check in Guy: Oh, Rachel right?  
  
Rachel: Yes  
  
Check in Guy: I'm Tony, you're in room 36A. Here's your key.  
  
Rachel: Thanks.  
  
Tony: If you need anything just dial the front desk and we can help you out.  
  
Rachel: Okay, thanks again.  
  
She headed up the stairs and walked down the hallway, scanning the doors for room 36A. Rachel found the door and slipped the key into the lock, turning it so that the door swung open. She stepped inside and took a look around. The room wasn't anything special, but it was in good condition and had a nice double bed that had a window next to it, looking out at a lake.  
  
Rachel [to herself]: I guess I better unpack then.  
  
Once she was done unpacking she decided to take a walk and explore the town she was staying in.  
  
She grabbed her purse off the bed and went back out onto Johnson Street.  
  
After she exchanged some of her American Dollars for some Euros, she went and sat on a bench by the lake behind the Inn. She inhaled deeply; the air was so fresh sitting there. Maybe this trip to Italy was going to be more fun than she imagined. Glancing down at her watch she saw it was nearing noon, and looking up she saw the reason for the beads of sweat running down her forehead; the sun was right in the top of the sky, beating down on the land surrounding her.  
  
Rachel: Jeez it's hot...  
  
Then she looked at the lake. It was clear, and you could see the sandy bottom if you stood right over it. Nobody was around, so Rachel ran up to her room and changed into her swimsuit; she wore her one piece because she figured she would draw enough attention to herself by swimming in the lake. Wrapping a towel around herself she dashed round the back of the hotel, and after whipping it off her, she dived into the lake. The water felt so good as it surrounded her body, rinsing the sweat off of her. She came back up and took a huge breath in, and then lying on her back looking up at the clouds. This had to be pure bliss; there was no where like this in New York, even in the suburbs. She did the backstroke around the lake and then dived back under, returning to her position on her back. Suddenly she heard a voice, and jumped up.  
  
Joey: Hey!  
  
Rachel [crossing her arms over her chest]: You scared me!  
  
Joey [smiling to himself]: Sorry, can you forgive me?  
  
Rachel [playfully]: I don't know...  
  
And with that she dived under the water again, only resurfacing to get another breath, and to see if Joey was still there, and he was.  
  
Rachel: So...what are you doing here?  
  
Joey: Well, I'm on my lunch break, and I normally walk past this lake to buy myself something to eat. I might ask the same of you, actually.  
  
Rachel: Well...I am staying at this hotel since you booked me in here this morning.  
  
Joey: Whoa, what?  
  
Rachel: I came downstairs this morning and Ally told me you had booked a room for me here, and that they were expecting me at 11...  
  
She broke off as she saw Joey looking confused.  
  
Joey: I gotta go. See you.  
  
He ran off in the opposite direction of where he had been headed. Rachel stood there for a moment, watching him go. She didn't know what had happened to make Joey run away like that. All of a sudden she realized that she was shivering, so she quickly dived under and then came up and got out.  
  
Back at the Tribbiani house...  
  
Joey [letting the screen porch door slam behind him]: ALLY! Ally walked down the stairs in her bikini with a sarong tied around her waist.  
  
Ally: Yes, darling?  
  
Joey: Did you tell you Rachel that I booked her into a hotel this morning, and is she now staying at the Giovanni Inn?  
  
Ally: I might have said something to that effect. But I only did it because I thought this could be a solution to us having some alone time. I'm sorry, I should have said I booked her a room, but I figured since she was technically staying at your house it would have made sense if you booked her a hotel room.  
  
Joey [took a deep breath in]: That's fine, I overreacted, I'm sorry.  
  
Ally: Now that that's out of the way, you want to come to the beach with me?  
  
Joey: Sure...but I only have an hour of my lunch break left, so we better make it a quick trip and go for a longer time tomorrow.  
  
Ally: Alright, let's hit the road!  
  
Joey [excited]: We can take this motorbike I'm fixing up this week!  
  
Ally [a look of disapproval on her face]: Why don't we just take the...truck.  
  
Joey's face fell as Ally headed out to the truck, and stood beside it as he grabbed the keys off the counter.  
  
After a 20 minute drive to the beach, Joey hopped out, grabbing his surf board from the back of the truck, and hoisting Ally's beach bag up onto his shoulder. by the way, don't actually know if people surf in Italy...but I want Joey to surf, so there is in this story!  
  
They walked onto the beach, set their towels out, and Joey peeled off his shirt. Ally smiled at him, but then her face fell as she saw a certain someone in the water, struggling with a rented surfboard.  
  
Joey: Something wrong?  
  
Ally: No  
  
She turned him towards her, and sat him down on the towel, climbing on top of him and kissing him rather violently so he wouldn't see Rachel, and hoping that when she was done with him Rachel would be gone, or he wouldn't notice her.  
  
Rachel fell off the surfboard for about the 10th time that day.  
  
Rachel [muttering]: Dammit, why can't I get this right?  
  
She climbed back on top of it and paddled out a way, and waited for a wave. A rather large one was coming, and she quickly got herself standing up on the surfboard, surprised that she was actually balanced. All of a sudden, the wave crashed down on her, knocking her off the surfboard, and pulling her under water. The water was churning around her, sending her spiraling farther under. She tried to take in a breath, but water filled her lungs, and soon she began to see black as she lost consciousness....  
  
Back to Joey as this is happening....  
  
Joey heard a woman scream and saw out of the corner of his eye her pointing out at the water.  
  
Woman: Oh my god! That woman just got knocked over by the wave and hasn't come up for more than two minutes!  
  
Joey quickly pushed Ally off him, and grabbed his surfboard from where it lay on the sand. He ran towards the ocean, but realized his surfboard would probably hold him back, and threw it behind him. He dove in and swam out to where he saw an overturned surfboard. Once he was out there he tread water for a moment and suddenly felt his foot brush someone. He quickly dove under and pulled what felt like a girl's body up to the surface. He struggled for a moment with the extra weight since he was out of his depth, but managed to drag himself and her to where he could stand up. When he reached his depth and stood up he lifted the girl up, only just recognizing who she was. It was Rachel. Then he looked closer. She wasn't breathing. He ran towards shore with her in his arms, quickly laying her on the sand and brushing the hair off of her face. People quickly surrounded them, Ally not included. Joey quickly placed his mouth on hers, giving her two breaths and then five compressions, repeating this over and over again until he saw her chest rise. She spit out a ton of water, and her eyes slowly flickered open.  
  
Rachel [croakily]: What-  
  
Joey: Don't talk, you need to rest.  
  
It was only as he looked down at her that he did a quick scan of her body. She was wearing a light blue bikini, and it looked great, her eyes looked a brilliant shade of blue. Once again he shook his head. He held his hand out to her and helped her while supporting her back with his other hand. He placed her arm around his neck and started to walk back to the truck but Rachel stumbled and nearly fell over again, her body still shaking. She bit her lip and took two more shaky step forwards. Joey decided this wasn't working.  
  
Joey: Its okay Rachel, you don't have to walk, you're obviously still in shock, I can carry you back to the truck, it's just over here.  
  
Rachel: Thanks, but that's really-  
  
Joey placed a finger on her lips.  
  
Joey [smiling]: I thought I told you not to talk. 


End file.
